A friend indeed?
by Callisto-HK
Summary: He needed help, but the one person he thought he could rely on was either too busy or too angry to respond! Now, he had no choice but to...! Well, he'd tried; nobody could blame him! /Set after 8x09. Rated T for language./
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N:**_ _I'm not sure what you'll think of this story; it's just that after watching episode 9 and episode 10's promo, I couldn't resist writing this fiction. - It kinda hurt me to watch the invisible gulf growing between our boys, again! - I really hope you enjoy reading it and **leave me some reviews so I know what you think**. ;)_

_**Oh, and this is totally spoilery! So if you haven't watched even the latest episode, you shouldn't read this one!**  
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"Sam, answer your frigging phone, dammit." Dean growled into Sam's voicemail when his brother failed to answer his call for... He'd stopped counting after the fourth try!

"I need you here, Sammy." he softened his tone and then went silent for a few seconds before finally sighing and saying, "but I guess it doesn't really matter." And with that he ended the call and for a moment pondered about throwing his phone to the wall, but decided against it.

Not just because he didn't really have enough energy to do so, but also because he most probably still needed that thing if he wanted to survive the predicament he'd founded himself in.

He couldn't stifle the groan that escaped his lips when he tried to shift on the filthy ground.

Closing his eyes for a second he thought about asking for help from someone else; you know, since his own brother couldn't bother to answer his damn phone.

Taking a deep breath he opened his eyes and stared at the sky above him and growled, "Cas, where the hell are you? I could use some help here."

...

Sam was sitting on his bed in the same motel room that he'd been in when Dean had shown up on his doorstep and he'd shut the door in his face.

Listening to Dean's message, he uttered a few swear words before deleting the message and throwing the phone on the bed. He wasn't in a mood to talk to Dean.

Not now... And probably not ever.

What had his brother been thinking? Betraying his own brother! Setting him up! Allying with a monster! And defending the same monster after it'd killed another hunter; a friend!

No.

No explanation could be good enough.

Dean couldn't give him _anything_ that would sound remotely reasonable.

So no, he wouldn't regret cutting the line when he'd called Dean the first time to show him he knew about his little trick. He wouldn't regret not letting him in and he wouldn't regret not answering his calls ever since.

He would regret nothing.

It wasn't his fault. It was all on Dean, this time. He should've thought about this before befriending a vampire.

He trusted that monster so much? He could go and enjoy his company for the rest of his life. Sam didn't care. Not even an Iota. He had someone else on his mind.

He kept telling himself that, but at the back of his mind, he felt bad for not talking to Dean; for not answering his phone when Dean had said he needed him. And worst of all was when Dean's tone of voice had changed to icy and distant when he'd muttered the last sentence before ending the call: '_I guess it doesn't really matter.'_

Sam was glad that he'd deleted the message. He knew he couldn't listen to that tone and pretend like nothing was wrong.

But like he'd been telling himself earlier; it wasn't _his_ fault.

"If he thinks I haven't been there for him, he can go and screw himself." he said aloud angrily to no one in the empty room. "If I've been such a terrible brother, then he doesn't have a right to call and ask for help."

"Or maybe you could pull your head out of your butt and try and see things from his point of view." a voice behind him made Sam jump from his place on the bed.

He cursed himself silently. After having the angel around for the last few years, he shouldn't get startled by his sudden appearance anymore, but that kept happening! "Cas."

"Do you even care for him?" Cas asked passively.

"What?"

"Dean. Do you even care for Dean?" he asked again. "Because from where I'm standing it really looks like you don't. I'm not talking about this exact position, of course." he looked around for the first time and then looked down at the spot he was standing on.

"What the hell?" Sam bristled, "of course I care." he didn't pay attention to Castiel's momentary confusion.

"I know you haven't even looked for him when we disappeared last year. Why didn't you, Sam?" Cas asked looking genuinely eager to know. "It seems like you were so tired that the moment he vanished, you-"

"STOP RIGHT THERE." Sam all but shouted. "You don't know anything about what happened to me. You don't know what kind of hell I went through when Dean just vanished right in front of my eyes. You have no right to judge me. There was nothing I could do."

"You could look." Cas stated indifferently. "You didn't know for sure if he was dead. You just assumed and went your own way."

"Dammit, Cas-"

"I'm just saying that you can't blame him for trusting Benny. It's not fair to him." The angel usually wouldn't interfere, but Dean and Sam were taking things too far again and he was tired, besides Purgatory had changed him. "And I can say that you are not upset about Dean choosing a vampire as a friend and defending him; you're just jealous. But like I said, you have no right. How many times has he needed you and you haven't been there? Tonight was another example."

"Tonight he-"

"He was lying in a pool of his own blood, merely 50 miles away from where we're standing now. This exact position. He tried and called you seven times before finally giving up and deciding that he needed to call someone who wouldn't turn his back on him because of uncalled anger or jealousy." now he sounded really angry, something that happened rarely.

Sam wanted to hit Cas and tell him that he was NOT jealous, that he didn't have any _reason_ to be.

But deep down he knew Cas was right.

That was not what stopped him, though.

There was something else that his tired mind couldn't register fast enough. Something about... blood? "Blood?"

"Yes, Sam. Blood. He was hurt by a couple of demons. He, of course, had managed to kill them both; but as good as he'd become after spending one year in Purgatory, he is still bounded by limitations of every human being and can't fight two powerful creatures all by himself and walk away unscathed."

Sam didn't know what to say. Dean had been hurt; that was _why_ he'd called. The pang of guilt he felt in his chest was almost too much to bear.

"He's in hospital."

"Where?" Sam managed.

Instead of answering his question, Cas put his fingers on Sam's forehead and within a second they were in the hospital.

It was late, so it was no wonder they were alone in that long corridor.

Looking around Sam noticed where Cas was heading to and walked behind him. Stopping outside a room, Cas motioned with his head for him to look inside.

There he was; his brother was lying in a hospital bed again; hooked up to various machines and IVs.

Sam was about to step inside when he noticed something else.

Dean wasn't alone.

Standing in a corner, next to the window was the cause of all their problems.

Benny.

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**... TBC ...**

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**_A/N: So, what do you think? :)_**

_Sorry for any mistakes._**_  
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_And, uh, I'm a bit busy with my exams; so I probably won't be able to update for at least two weeks, but I promise to come back with a longer chapter.  
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	2. Chapter 2

_Dean wasn't alone._

_Standing in a corner, next to the window was the cause of all their problems._

_Benny._

He was looking out the window and apparently had yet to notice them.

Sam opened his mouth to yell at the monster when Cas grabbed him by his arm and pulled him away.

"Sam. No." he warned.

"What the hell is that thing doing in there?" Sam hissed indignantly.

"Did you even see Dean? He was right there, too! But you didn't even ask what has happened to him or what's wrong with him now. Clearly all you could see was Benny." Castiel berated him. "You really don't care." he deduced.

Sam grabbed his collar and pinned him against the wall, "He's my brother and I _do_ care about his well-being but it's not my fault that he's stupid enough to hunt _alone_ and then call a monster for help instead of his own brother."

"Dean hasn't chosen a monster over his brother." Cas used the words that knew Sam had in mind and then pushed himself away from the wall with no effort, making Sam move back. "It's not his fault that you closed every door in his face before knowing the whole story. He didn't have any other choice."

Sam winced inwardly as he remembered closing the door in his brother's face. Literally.

Cas saw the wince, though. "See? You're just angry because over the years, _ you _have chosen monsters over him and now you just want to make him feel like he's doing the same, so you could call it even. Because despite what you keep saying, you still feel guilty over those mistakes. And you feel guilty for giving up on him so easily when he disappeared before your eyes and you're jealous that he's called Benny and trusted _him_ when it was always you he'd call for help, before."

Sam turned around to hide the hurt and sadness that was written all over his face.

"You can turn around, but you can't hide. Not from me, Sam." Cas called, but Sam didn't move from his spot. "Benny was there for him when no one else was. Benny has proved himself; he's not a monster. You know perfectly well that not every vampire is a monster. You've seen some of them for yourself. So even if I couldn't read your feelings so well, I'd be able to understand that the only reason that you hate Benny so much is because you're jealous of him."

"He killed Martin. He IS a monster." Sam justified.

"Are you absolutely sure? You weren't there."

"Were you? Tell me what happened. Come on, fill me in." Sam challenged heatedly.

"That's something you should ask your brother. He's tried to explain it to you but you always refuse to listen." Cas sighed. "He tried to call you, before calling Benny. _You_ didn't answer. I couldn't get to him right away when he called for me. When I got there, Benny was already with him."

Blue eyes narrowed and studied Sam for a few seconds. "Do you get what I'm trying to say? Dean tried to avoid calling Benny as long as possible. He considers Benny a friend; he trusts him, but he doesn't want to rely on him. You're always his first choice, but when you turn your back?" The angel shook his head." You don't expect him to just lie there and die because you're too self-centered, are you? Heaven is tired of your childish behavior and I'm talking about both of you. You used to be there for each other, no matter what, but it seems like in the past few years, you've been looking for a reason to be at each other's throat. It's past the time to grow up. Open up to him and let him talk to you without being so hostile."

"Let him talk? He doesn't WANT to talk. He doesn't want to know about Amelia and sure doesn't want me to know about Purgatory." Sam growled in frustration.

"I was there, Sam. It's not easy to talk about, especially for him." Castiel's tone softened." Because even _I_ can't say what he's been through; I'm an angel and things are different for me. Find a way. You are going to have bigger problems."

"What do you-" Sam started to ask what problem he was talking about, but the angel disappeared into thin air; leaving Sam alone with his thoughts, confusion, guilt and anger.

Resigning to what he knew he had to do, Sam slowly walked towards Dean's room, remembering that he still didn't know what was wrong with his brother. He didn't know if he should ask the staff or just ask Benny about it.

The latter seemed rather unpleasant. He didn't want to talk to that mons-... Should he call Benny a monster? First Dean and now Cas; they both insisted that Benny wasn't on the wrong side. Still, Sam didn't like him and didn't want to ask a stranger about his brother. HIS brother!

But asking the staff wasn't really an option, either. What surname was Dean using? What was Sam supposed to say or ask in order to not look like a complete idiot or a jerk who didn't know anything about his brother?

Of course, he could walk into Dean's room and find the name Dean was using, but it meant that he had to face Benny anyway. So why not asking him in the first place?

Sam was sure that if Benny tried to throw in any witty comments, he wouldn't be able to hold his anger back and would find a way to get him out of hospital and kill him; but to his surprise, Benny didn't act smug when he saw him. He looked just... concerned? Tired?

What was that look? Was that _thing_ really worried about his brother? Were they really _that_ close?

Nodding his head in lieu of greeting, Sam's eye lingered on Dean's prone body, but before he could put his pride aside, Benny started to talk.

"He has two broken ribs, one punctured his right lung and made him bleed in the pleural cavity; they put in a chest tube to drain the blood. He's intubated but the machine is just there to help him breathe, he's mostly breathing on his own. They'll take him off the ventilator probably by tomorrow morning, but the chest tube has to stay a bit longer."

Sam's eyes darkened; he knew the drill and had witnessed Dean going through it a few times.

"His left leg is also broken." the vampire added. "But it was a clean break, so he'll be back on his feet pretty quickly."

"What else?" Sam asked curtly.

"Some superficial abrasions and contusions; nothing serious and a slight concussion." Benny answered as he walked towards Dean's bed. Putting his hand on the fallen hunter's shoulder, he continued, "I told them that he was mugged and that his brother is on his way to here. So they expect you."

"Don't think they know I'm here yet."

Benny nodded his understanding; he knew that Cas had gone to bring him to the hospital. "I will be out of your way, now that you're here. Just tell him-" he swallowed and sighed. "Never mind." squeezing his friends' shoulder one last time, Benny started to walk out, but Sam's voice stopped him.

"You can stay if you want."

Sam was more shocked than Benny at his own words. He didn't know where those words had come from, but they were out of his mouth before he could think about them.

"I don't want to disturb you. I know how important family is to you two. Dean had told me and I promised him to stay away."

Sam shrugged. "He trusts you more. If there's anyone he wants here it's probably you." he said bitterly.

"That's not true. He thinks highly of you. You were the only reason he fought tooth and nail to get out of Purgatory." Benny said without hesitation. "But I haven't lied to him and have so far stayed true to my words. I'm clean." he declared, showing that Dean's trust wasn't misplaced.

"Right." Sam snorted. "Look, I don't trust you. I can't. But my brother trusts you and right now he's the only thing that matters. So, you can stay if you want to make sure he's alright and then you'll be out of here. And you make one wrong step and I promise you that it'll be your last step on earth. I don't care how many times Dean and Cas say you're trustworthy, you're not in my eyes."

Benny shrugged. "Fair enough. As long as you don't act just on your gut and have some good reasons to believe that I've gone rogue. Because _I_ don't want to be alive if I ever hurt anyone again."

Sam rolled his eyes. "That won't work on me. Dean is softer than me if he feels he's in someone's debt."

"Dean doesn't owe me squat. He paid off his debt by helping me out of Purgatory. Like I said, I've never done anything to make him doubt me." the vampire started for the door. "I'll go for a walk."

"Like hell you are." Sam stopped him by grabbing his arm. "You think I'm stupid? You're in a hospital, the scent of blood must be killing you; I'm not gonna let you kill-"

Pulling his arms away, Benny gritted his teeth. "I don't drink people." he took a deep breath and tried to calm down his nerves. "You can come with me if you don't believe me but you can't keep me here. I've been told I'm a good company." he smirked.

When there was no response from Sam but a deadly glare, Benny shrugged and walked out of the room, murmuring under his breath, "Don't say I didn't offer."

Sam didn't know how long he'd been staring at his brother's still figure before a voice from the door startled him.

"Excuse me, sir?"

Turning around, Sam saw a middle-aged woman in medical scrubs. Licking his lips, Sam tried to pull up a smile on his face. "Hi, I'm Sam. Dean's brother."

She smiled at that, "Right, I'm Doctor Linda Casey; your brother's physician. Your friend told us you'd come."

Sam fought the urge to say that Benny was NOT his '_friend_'.

"I'll just check his vitals and leave you two alone." she said while starting to do what she said she would.

Sam expected her to leave when she was done, but when the woman lingered in the doorway, Sam narrowed his eyes and asked, "everything OK?"

Dr. Casey looked at Dean for a few more seconds before looking back at Sam and motioning her head towards the corridor. "Wanna join me for a coffee?"

Sam knew it wasn't exactly a request, so he just nodded and followed the woman outside the room.

"Hmm, this is actually good." Sam sounded amazed as he tasted the coffee.

"I know, right?" Linda smiled. "But hey, it's for the staff, of course it's good."

"So, you wanted to talk to me?"

"Yes. It's about your brother."

"I figured."

"OK, I'm gonna be straightforward, has your brother been a torture victim or something?"

"What?" Sam was happy he hadn't taken a sip of his coffee before hearing Dr. Casey's last sentence.

"There are some scars on his body. Some really nasty scars." She explained. "Our first thought was that he's been to war but it looked more like he's been imprisoned and tortured for a long time. I didn't see anything in his file."

"It's complicated." Sam really didn't know what to say. He had no idea what had happened to Dean or what scar the doctor was talking about.

Dr. Casey being the experienced woman saw the confusion in Sam's eyes, though. "You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?"

"I.. Umm-"

"Are you even his brother for real?" she suddenly stiffed.

"He is." said a voice behind them.

They both looked back to find Benny standing there, holding his hat in his hands. "Dr. Casey." he nodded his greeting, before coming up with an explanation for Sam's confusion. "Dean has _recently_ reunited with Sam. That's why Sam doesn't know much yet."

She still didn't look convinced.

"You could've asked me." Benny smiled at her. "Dean and I served together. That's why I told you he's like a brother to me. Brothers in arms. I'm sure you know how it is in the army."

Once again Sam found himself stifling a growl since he knew it wouldn't help the situation.

"But those scars-" Casey left the sentence unfinished.

Benny rubbed his forehead. "Yes, he was taken during a mission. It took us a while to find him." he sighed. "And before you ask, it was a secret mission and that's why there's nothing in his file. In fact when we left the army they left everything out of our files."

The doctor still looked a bit unsure, but didn't question them anymore. "Then maybe it's a good thing he has his brother by his side. Familiar faces are always helpful. Has he seen any professionals? Scars like the ones he has, are always deeper than meets the eye."

"He has." Benny lied easily. "It really was a hard time, but he's doing much better. That's another reason why we left the army. We needed some constants in our lives. He's spending more time with his brother now." Benny smiled warmly.

Sam kept silent and felt actually ashamed for not knowing about Dean's scars. Ashamed AND mad, of course. That _thing_ knew about his brother more than he did.

_'And whose fault is that?' _A voice said in his head making Sam want to bang his head against a wall.

"I'll leave you alone, then. Call me if you need anything, but if everything goes the way we hope, which I think they would, then my colleague will remove the vent tomorrow morning and then we just have to wait for Dean to wake up."

Sam nodded his thanks before turning towards Benny and staring at him.

"What?" Benny put his hat in his pocket. "You prefer to be thrown out of here instead of me jumping in, just because you didn't know what she was talking about?"

"And what exactly was she talking about?" Sam demanded.

"I gather you two don't talk much, huh?" Benny asked in return.

"None of your damn business." Sam growled.

"True."

"What's with the scars?" Sam asked again.

"What? You thought he was taking a sunbath down there? Of course there are scars on his body and you know how they usually get there."

"How bad are they?"

"Bad."

"Dammit-"

"Sam." Benny stepped forward. "I haven't seen his scars, I just have seen _some_ of the actual wounds and I can imagine the kind of scars that they'd leave. I don't know more. We both care about Dean and want him to recover. Don't make them throw us out."

Sam glared at the vampire for a few more seconds before walking past him towards Dean's room.

"You need to ask _him_." Benny offered when he joined Sam in the room. "It'll probably help him, too."

Sam snorted. "Like he'd tell me anything."

"Maybe if you asked nicely-"

"It doesn't matter how I ask." Sam clenched his fists. "He never, and I mean NEVER, talks to me. He always expects me to talk to him, to tell him what's wrong and what's going on with me, but that stubborn jerk never opens up himself."

"Have you asked?"

"YES, Dammit. I HAVE." Sam barely stopped himself from shouting.

"Are you sure you've done it the right way? I'm not talking about _demanding_ some answers. I mean asking him; like a brother."

_'Is that thing preaching at me now? How dare he.'_ Sam thought furiously. "You know what?" he shook his head in exasperation. "Whatever. I... I need some fresh air." And with that he was out of the room.

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**... TBC ...**

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**_A/N: Please leave me a review and tell me what you think. :)_**

_Sorry for any mistakes._**_  
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_Thanks for your support. :)  
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	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N:** So the show is back and we still didn't get any explanation about what happened between Benny and Martin that night! And to be honest, although I kinda liked the episode in general, I didn't like the way it ended! With Dean giving up on his friendship with Benny because Sam wanted so and with Sam staying just because the situation has called for it! Or was it really because he couldn't be with Amelia and lie to her about his real life? !_

_Anyway, this is a fiction and there are no spoilers to it after episode 9! The rest is all **my** imagination! Hope you enjoy it. :)_

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The night passed quietly, Benny knew Sam wasn't comfortable around him and that he didn't want him there, but he told himself that he'd be out of there as soon as Dean opened his eyes. For now he tried to stay out of Sam's sight to give him some time alone with Dean.

The next morning, as promised, the ventilator was removed and all they had to do was wait for Dean to wake up on his own, which didn't take long once the sedative started to wear off.

Sam noticed that Dean was coming around and rose to his feet. "Hey, Dean. Can you hear me?" he bent forward to be in Dean's line of view. "About time you decided to join us." he smiled once Dean's eyes found his eyes and stayed there.

Blinking a few more times, Dean opened his mouth to talk back, but nothing left his mouth but a hiss.

"Wait, I'll get you some water." Sam grabbed a glass from the bedside table. "You were intubated. Again." he said as a way of explanation.

After having a few sips, Dean found that his throat wasn't on fire anymore and tried to talk again. "Sam?"

"Who else?" Sam smiled, but braced himself for Dean's answer, afraid to hear the one name he hated the most these days.

"What 'ppend?" Dean croaked.

Sam sighed. "I'm not sure. All I know is that you were jumped by two demons."

Dean frowned and tried to remember more; a few seconds later everything was back.

He remembered himself struggling to get rid of two very angry demons that were trying to get him to tell them where Kevin was; remembered the hot pain in his side when one of the demons had him pinned against the wall, putting his palm on his side, pushing hard.  
He remembered killing that demon, but he'd landed badly on his knee and was sure that he, at least, had a sprained knee.  
The second demon had tried to get some answers too but had ended up where the first one had.

He knew one thing for sure, though; in order to look good in Crowley's eyes, demons were having a competition for finding Kevin and two of them were stupid enough to think they could get him, _Dean Winchester_, to tell them about Kevin's whereabouts.

But what bothered him at that moment wasn't any of those things.

What bothered him was that he could clearly remember that he'd tried to call Sam to ask for help and every single time his brother had refused to answer.

He remembered that even on earth, he had been forced to call _Benny_ and ask for _his_ help.

On _earth_, where he wasn't supposed to be alone; where he was supposed to have a brother to have his back.

He really wanted to ask Sam, to demand some answers, but he was too tired to open his mouth and before he knew his eyelids drooped and he was out for the count.

That didn't mean he could or would forget the question that was on his mind and that was why the first thing out of his mouth, when he finally awoke and found enough energy to talk, was a question that had been bothering him even throughout his slumber.

"What made you change your mind?" he asked grimly.

"What?" Sam looked confused; he didn't even know that Dean had been awake.

"Don't play dumb, Sam." Dean licked his lips. "You couldn't even bother to answer my calls, what made you change your mind to come here?"

Sam swallowed hard. "I didn't know you needed help."

"Right, because I didn't mention that when I was leaving you those messages." Dean grumbled.

"Thought you were lying again." Sam shrugged and stepped back, his anger was suddenly back in full force.

"Why would I lie about something like that?" Dean growled incredulously.

"It's not like you hadn't done that before. You made me think Amelia needed help." Sam scoffed.

"Only because _you_ had your eyes so tightly shut that you couldn't see the truth. You can't trust me. What was I supposed to do? Let you kill-" his voice trailed off.

"Kill what? Your friend? Your _brother_?" Sam mocked. "That's what you were about to say, wasn't it?"

"Dammit, Sam-"

"No, dammit, _Dean_." Sam cut him off. "You lied to me and it's _your_ fault that you were hurt and I couldn't believe you and weren't there when you needed me. So don't put the blame on _me_."

Dean just looked at him for a couple of seconds and then shook his head. "I don't know why you're here or how you found out about me being here. But I think you should go. I tried to keep you by my side. Because I've missed you so much; I've missed fighting those SOB's with you, having you around; but the feeling is clearly _not_ mutual. I've tried to pretend that it is, but even _I_ am not that pathetic."

Sam's anger drained as fast as it had surfaced. "Look-"

"No, Sam. You clearly are not ready to hear my side of story. You just assume and your mind is set; there's nothing I can do or say to change it. It's always been like that. The difference is that I'm tired now. I'm just too tired, Sam." he sighed and grabbed his side, unable to hide a wince when he accidentally touched the chest tube on his side. "Gross." he mumbled.

That small gesture made Sam think about their past; old days when after a bad hunt Dean would end up in a hospital bed with a chest tube attached to him and would always growl and nag about it. It deflated the remaining of his anger. "I'm-" he sighed. "I wanna hear you. I just..."

Dean didn't look back at him.

"Look, Benny is here." he tried another approach, "I let him stay so he could make sure you were alright."

That made Dean turn his head towards Sam with his eyes narrowed.

Sam shrugged. "I couldn't behead him in public."

Dean rolled his eyes.

"I'll go and... Um, I don't know... Do something; will be back in an hour or so."

Dean nodded first, but then said, "You don't have to come back. I'm fine now."

"We need to talk. And I'm not really ready to take off yet." Sam said back. "I... Um, see ya."

...

About two hours later, Sam found his way back to his brother's room, only to find it empty. Asking around he found out that they'd taken him for some more tests and to take the chest tube out.

What hit him hard was the fact that when they brought Dean back, he actually looked surprised to see Sam there, like he didn't expect him to come back. That look on Dean's face made him think that maybe he hadn't been that fair about judging his brother, after all.

"You didn't expect me to come back, did you?" he couldn't help asking.

Dean shrugged. "Had some doubts."

"So, how are you feeling?"

"Like I'm ready to get the hell out of here, but those bloodsuckers won't let me. Annoyed."

"Figured." Sam ginned. "So, did you talk to Benny?"

"Benny isn't the one I need to talk to. He just stayed for a few minutes." Dean shifted on his bed. "You heard about Cas?"

"Yup, he... Umm, _he_ brought me here." Sam scratched his forehead.

"Hmm."

"So?"

"You never answered my question. What made you change your mind?" Dean repeated his earlier question.

"I told you, Dean, I -"

"Yeah, you weren't sure if I really needed help. But would you have come if you were sure?"

"Of course I would. What kind of question is that?" Sam frowned and his face suddenly reddened. "Dammit, Dean. You really think that I don't give a damn about you?"

"I'm sorry about faking that text from your girl." Dean didn't answer Sam's question which left Sam worried.

"You-" Sam blinked. "You don't-"

Dean raised an eyebrow.

Sam sighed. "Anything you wanted to tell me about Martin's death?"

"You gonna let me explain it or you want to just keep repeating your words?" Dean asked skeptically.

"I asked, didn't I?"

"Can't be sure with you." Dean lifted a shoulder. "I told you that it wasn't Benny killing those guys and that we took care of the other vamp."

"Yeah, what happened to Martin?"

"I was on my way back to you." Dean decided to start from the time he left Benny. "Called Martin and told him to mind his own business and that he should find another job. Couple of hours later I got a call from the girl who worked with Benny in that cafe."

Sam wasn't sure where the story was heading to, but somehow he knew he wasn't going to like it.

"I got there as fast as I could and found Elizabeth, Benny's great-granddaughter, -"

"Wait, what?" Sam couldn't help but interrupt Dean and show his shock.

"Yeah, that was awkward." Dean confessed, averting his eyes from Sam's.

"You didn't hit on her, did you?" Sam tried to suppress a smirk.

"Guilty."

Sam rolled his eyes. "So? What happened next?"

"Right... Ah, well, Elizabeth was sitting outside the diner, shaken up and upset. She motioned me to get inside; that was where I found Martin's body, but it wasn't drained. Actually, blood was _every_where. You think if Benny had anything to do with his death or if he drank people, he'd let so much blood go wasted?"

_That actually was a good question_. Sam thought. But he hadn't seen it for himself; Dean could be making it up for all he knew. "And Benny wasn't there." he guessed.

Dean narrowed his eyes. "No. No, he wasn't."

"Let me guess, this is where you'll tell me that it was self-defense, isn't it?" Sam shook his head. "He _is_ a monster, Dean. What's going to happen the next time he feels threatened? Huh? He's gonna kill another hunter; then another; then... One day it might even be _me_. But, hey, it's OK, he's been more of a brother to you than I've ever been, right?" he spat out angrily.

Dean's face was completely expressionless. He had a great inner conflict, but was so tired that couldn't show anything. Tired and of course, angry and shocked.  
What the hell was Sam thinking accusing him of not caring about his brother? The brother he'd given his life for and would do again and again should the case arise.

Sighing, Dean looked Sam in the eyes. "What's the point of me explaining things when your mind is set?" pointing to his cellphone on the bedside table, he added, "Elizabeth's number is still in my phone; talk to her. You've been investigating these kinda cases for a long time, now; you should know how to find the truth."

"I already _know_ the truth."

Dean continued without paying Sam any attention. "That is if you can think clearly and be objective enough."

"Objective?" Sam bristled. "Dammit, Dean. He is a _monster_. _You_'re the one who can't think clearly; your judgment's so clouded that I don't even feel safe around you." Sam almost shouted; even though deep down, he didn't mean those words and regretted saying them immediately.

All the color drained from Dean's face at those words; he closed his eyes and sank into his pillow. "Then you really should go." opening his eyes, he looked up at Sam. "I kept telling myself that despite not looking for me, you did want me back; I was fooling myself, though and I knew it all along. I just didn't want to believe it; it's always been hard for me and every damn creature knows that it's my weak point." he sounded so defeated. "Go and live your life with your girl, I shouldn't have made you come with me in the first place."

"Yeah, be a drama queen, why won't you?" Sam growled, the muscle in his jaw flexing.

"Get the hell outta here, Sam. I told you I'm tired and all you care about is proving your point." All traces of calmness were gone from Dean's voice. "Why the hell do you care, anyway? You keep threatening me with leaving as soon as this is over! Funny, it's been the same story since the day Jessica died. Oh wait, it started _way_ before that; there was this time when you would say you'd leave for _college_. And yet here you are, still here and still threatening me. And it hasn't always been _me_ keeping you here. _You_'ve needed me as much as I've needed you. So don't you dare blame _me_ for every shitty thing in your life."

"Hey-" Sam opened his mouth to protest, but Dean was finally furious and wouldn't let him talk.

"You said you wanted out, then get the hell out. You said it was better if I hunted alone, so why do you get angry when I do? Damned if I do, damned if I don't, huh? But guess what? I don't get orders from you. Last time I checked brother-ship was not about superiors and inferiors and you sure as hell are not my superior. So get the hell out and live your fucking apple-pie life. We could even hang out together once a year and have small talks. How does that sound?" he added sarcastically.

"You know what?" Sam growled angrily. "Go to hell." And with that he stormed out of the room, not hearing Dean's reply when he said, _'Oh, I bet you'd love that!'_

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**... TBC ...**

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**_A/N: _**_Yeah, they probably were a lil' bit too angry! But I really think Dean needs to vent, it's not healthy to keep everything __bottled up inside! _

**_ Please leave me a review and tell me what _you _think. :)_**

_I wrote this chapter a couple of days ago, before watching episode 10, so if there's any similarity, it's just a coincidence!  
_

_Sorry for any mistakes._**_  
_**

**_Thanks for your support, everyone. :)_**

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	4. Chapter 4

_"You know what?" Sam growled angrily. "Go to hell." And with that he stormed out of the room, not hearing Dean's reply when he said, 'Oh, I bet you'd love that!'_

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Around midnight Sam received a call from the hospital, informing him that his brother had gone_ missing_.

Cursing loudly, Sam got into the car and once again drove to the hospital, extremely furious at Dean for checking himself out.

'_That stupid reckless jerk'._ He thought fiercely.

The nurse on the phone had just asked him to get over there to take care of a few things; because he sure wouldn't have bothered to go there if he didn't _have _to. He couldn't get it why Dean could get out of there by himself, but couldn't take care of _the things_ the nurse had so vaguely mentioned!

"Someone should remind him that I'm not his fucking bitch." Sam hit the steering wheel angrily.

Once there, Sam went straight to the nurse station and asked for his brother's nurse.

"Mr. Adams, I'm so sorry." the nurse started.

Sam shook his head. "It's alright; although I would've told you _on the phone_ that Dean has a habit of checking himself out AMA and you shouldn't worry if you just had _let_ me."

"So he's with you?" the nurse asked incredulously. "Because if he is, then-"

"No," Sam rolled his eyes. "He's not with me, but it's OK. He'll be fine." he said even though deep down he was angry that Dean wouldn't care about his health.

"Well, umm... I-" the nursed paused. "I don't know how you could be so sure. I mean he didn't check himself out AMA, and-"

"What?" Sam cut her off. "He just took off?" _'What the hell was Dean thinking?' _Shaking his head, Sam apologized again. "Well, I'm sorry if he made you worry, he can be so selfish sometimes."

"Mr. Adams, would you please let me finish my sentence?" the nurse asked impatiently. "All I'm trying to say is that I find it unusual that someone would take off without his stuff and cellphone. That's why I called you."

Hearing that, Sam blinked, he was dumbfounded. "Wha-... How-.." he blinked again. "What are you implying here?"

"I'm saying that he's _missing_." she repeated what she'd said on the phone. "Just like what I said before. We informed the security and searched the whole hospital, but he's nowhere to be found."

Sam's stomach dropped. _'Fuck, not again. Not again.'_ he repeated mentally. "So, you mean he's been taken?"

"What? I-" the nurse eyes widened suddenly. "Oh God, we haven't thought of _that_. Why would someone do that? Does he have any enemies? I mean we thought that he probably had been delusional and had just left. Thought he'd probably end up with you. We should call the cops."

"No." Sam stopped her immediately. "He was, umm, pretty upset before I left." he looked for an excuse to dissuade her; whatever had taken Dean wasn't from this world and they didn't need cops on their case. Not if Sam could help it. "Umm, I left- I shouldn't-" he shook his head. "Look. I'm sure he's fine." He swallowed hard. "Was he given any painkillers before disappearing?"

"Well, umm-" she thought for a few second. "Yes, I had to give him a heavy painkiller. He was in too much pain."

"Damn." That explains why he hadn't been able to defend himself or fight. Dean Winchester wasn't one to be easily abducted. Unless he was facing aliens, which Sam highly doubted.

"He reacts that badly to painkillers?" the nurse asked worriedly. "You should've warned us."

"Huh?" Sam blinked, it was on the tip of his tongue to say no, but he stopped himself just in time; that was the best excuse. "Sometimes, I must've forgotten to mention it. Sorry. Look, can I go to his room and get his stuff? I can look for him myself. I know him, I'll probably find him in no time." he wished things were really that easy in their lives.

The nurse nodded her agreement. "Sure, but he needs to be in the hospital. His injuries were serious. Make sure to bring him back once you found him. OK?"

"Sure, sure. Yeah." Sam replied absently, taking in Dean's room. Everything seemed just like when he'd left except that Dean wasn't there.

Moving on autopilot, Sam collected Dean's stuff and left the hospital; all the while trying to find a way to look for Dean and find someone to ask for help.

Walking past the cars in the hospital's parking lot, he found the Impala sitting there innocently. That alone was enough to tell him that Dean really had been taken; because anyone who knew Dean knew that even in his worst state of mind, Dean wouldn't leave his car, his _baby_, behind!

Switching his car with Dean's, Sam headed back to the motel he'd been staying at. He needed to get his own stuff and check out.

.

Two hours later, Sam was back on the road, still not having a clue on how to find Dean. He'd tried to find Cas, had called his name in any ways he knew, but the angel had once again disappeared which really irritated Sam.

"He's never there when you need him." he growled in the empty car as he pulled over to the roadside. _'Doesn't that remind you of someone else? Yourself maybe?'_ A voice in his head said and Sam had to literally shake his head to get rid of it.

Sighing loudly, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and went through his contacts to see who he could call, but there weren't many hunters willing to help him; he hadn't exactly made a good reputation for himself. And those who knew him well were either dead or unavailable.

That left Garth.

His finger lingered on his name for a few seconds before he rolled his eyes and went down the list. These days, what Garth was good at was only imitating Bobby; and poorly for that. Besides he was busy with Kevin and his mother.

_Kevin_.

Sam's eyes widened. Something told him that Dean's disappearance had something to do with Kevin. It made sense; why else would something take him from a hospital bed, when he wasn't even working on anything?

He wondered if it was wise to contact Garth and Kevin, but remembered that the kid wasn't a hunter and didn't have any special ability in that area. Being a prophet hadn't turned him into a psychic or a hunter.

Besides, whatever that had taken Dean might follow Sam and find Kevin if he went to him.

No, Sam couldn't risk that. Dean wouldn't forgive him if he ever risked Kevin's life.

Putting away his own cellphone, Sam grabbed Dean's and went through his contacts. Most of the names were familiar; there were a few that he didn't know and of course there were two more names that Sam knew, but made him see red again.

Benny and Elizabeth.

Damn.

What was he supposed to do? Call Benny and see if he'd give him a hand with finding his brother? Not in a million years. He would find Dean by his own.

But before he knew what he was doing he had pushed the call button on Elizabeth's name.

"Hello? Dean?" a sleepy voice asked from the other end of the line.

For a second Sam thought about ending the call, especially since it was around two in the morning and Sam had just remembered it, but something stopped him from hanging up.

"Dean? Is that you?"

"Umm, hi." Sam answered. "No, this is Sam. I'm Dean's brother."

"Oh." Lizzie sounded surprised. "I... Um... Well, you're calling from his phone and I thought-"

"I know. I... I needed to talk to you, I guess." Sam wasn't sure what he was doing or why for that matter, all he knew was that there was something in Elizabeth's voice that wouldn't let him hang up.

"It's a bit too late, don't you think?"

"Yes, but well, it's kinda urgent. I'm really sorry for disturbing you this late."

Sighing, Lizzie gave in. "What's this about? Is Dean alright?"

"Are you and Dean close?" Sam evaded, not wanting to answer that particular question. Besides, he needed to know if she'd lie for Dean.

"Close?" she chuckled. "I don't know, maybe. If knowing someone for a few days and meeting him just twice is enough for you to get close to him, then yes, we are close. Of course, there's that near-death experience. _That_ most definitely made me feel closer to him."

"What near-death experience?" Sam frowned, hating himself for not letting Dean tell him the whole story.

"Umm, you know; the one where I found out that I have a grandfather who doesn't look like a grandfather and actually is a vampire and that he's willing to die for me? You're not a friend of that SOB who tried to kill me, are you?" She asked, suddenly remembering that just because Sam was using Dean's phone didn't mean he was telling the truth about being Dean's brother or that he was on his side. "You know what, forget I said anything. I gotta g-"

"No, wait, wait. Please." Sam rushed to stop her from hanging up. "You talking about Martin? No, I'm not his friend really. I just wanna know what happened that night. You know, Dean is missing. I'm trying to realize what's going on here." That wasn't a total lie, even though Dean's abduction had nothing to do with Martin's death.

"Oh." she sounded genuinely concerned. "I... I didn't know. Sorry. Is that Martin guy to blame? I mean, well, he's dead and Dean was here after that, but he was so crazy that I wouldn't be shocked if he'd anything to do with it." She took a breath. "That crazy man tied me to a chair and was about to kill me. He had a knife to my throat and was pressing really hard." her breath hitched. "I didn't have any choice. You have to believe me." Now it sounded like she was crying. "Roy... Benny, I mean Benny, he put his head down; he just put his head down on the counter for that crazy bastard to cut it off, all because of me. And I couldn't... I couldn't just sit there and let him kill Roy." Now she was outright sobbing. "I had no choice. I had to do something or he would've killed him. Roy is such a nice guy. I don't know, human, vampire, I mean come on, I'm not even sure they really exist." she fell silent.

"_You_ killed Martin?" Sam was bewildered. "It wasn't Benny?" Damn, Dean was telling the truth and he hadn't believed him. AGAIN.

"What?" she sniffed. "No, why would he do that? He was ready to die for me. I freed myself in the last second and grabbed the knife and..." she sighed. "I'm not really sorry for killing _him_. But... I haven't been able to sleep ever since. I... I killed a man." she started crying again.

"Shhhh, calm down." Sam tried to comfort her over the phone; it wasn't really an easy task, though. "It was in self-defense, or... Well, yeah, it was." he shrugged. "Look I gotta go now. Will you be alright?"

"It didn't happen last night, I would've offed myself by now if I wanted to." she said after a few seconds of silence. "Would you tell Dean to call me when you find him? He helped me a lot when I called him, I wanna make sure he's alright."

"Um, sure." Sam promised. "Hey, listen, do you happen to know where Benny is? Is he still there with you?"

"No, haven't seen him since that night. He poured out a stream of apology before taking off. He just told me to call Dean and then he was gone. Is he really... I mean- Well, that... Umm-"

"A vampire?" Sam helped. "Yes, he is. Your great-grandfather, I believe, huh?"

"Hmm, yes. He's a nice guy, though. Can vampires be nice? Besides, aren't vampires supposed to love blood? The man was lying there dead; his blood all over the place and Roy didn't show any interest! No reaction at all."

Another thing that Dean had pointed out and Sam had brushed off, thinking that Dean was making it up at that moment. "I... Well, there are some vampires that don't drink human blood. Benny is among them, I suppose." Funny, was he really defending the same _thing_ that he'd been calling a monster the last few months of his life? What was happening to him?

"I never believed in those kinda things; it's crazy, but I don't know why I believe it when it comes to Benny. I just know he's not a monster." she sighed. "Go find Dean." she said suddenly. "And, umm, if you ever see Benny, would you please tell him to contact me? I need to talk to him. There's some stuff that we need to talk about."

Sam, to his own surprise, promised her that he'd pass her message.

Seriously, what the hell was happening to him? First defending that thin-... No, _first_ letting him stay in the hospital by Dean's bedside; then defending him; and now he was considering contacting him to be his personal messenger! Something was definitely wrong with him.

But well, he owed Dean way more than that; he couldn't lie to himself.

Oh, Dean! Sam blinked as the mere thought of Dean suddenly brought him back to the present. Man, he needed to find Dean; somehow he couldn't just walk away again, and if he were honest with himself, he was partially at fault for their current predicament. It might've never happened if he'd stayed and they were together! And add that to his last words to Dean before storming out of his room; man, did he feel awful! What was he supposed to do now?!

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**... TBC ...**

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**_A/N: _****_Please leave me a review and tell me what _you _think. :)_**

_Sorry for any mistakes._**_  
_**

**_Thanks for your support; it means the world to me. :)_**

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	5. Chapter 5

_Oh, Dean! Sam blinked as the mere thought of Dean suddenly brought him back to the present. Man, he needed to find Dean; somehow he couldn't just walk away again, and if he were honest with himself, he was partially at fault for their current predicament. It might've never happened if he'd stayed and they were together! And add that to his last words to Dean before storming out of his room; man, did he feel awful! What was he supposed to do now?!_

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Despite feeling guilty, Sam still wasn't ready to let go of his anger and didn't really want to accept the fact that Dean might've been right about Benny and that Benny wasn't all that bad. But after almost 10 hours and no success in contacting Cas or locating Dean, Sam found himself between a rock and a hard place. Apparently he _had to_ call Benny and team up with him to save Dean, whether he liked it or not.

Of course there was this other option where he could take off again and go to Amelia; like the first time. At that time Sam didn't know where Dean was or even if he was alive, and he'd run off and had found Amelia. So why not doing the same again?

Amelia had told him that she'd leave Don for him. He could be with her and they could live happily ever after. Just like he'd always wanted.

But it was different this time. Dean was _alive;_ he was on earth and probably in need of immediate help.

Sam had tried to convince Dean that he'd be there for him if he was in trouble. But the problem was that he had his own doubts. Something inside him was berating him for leaving Dean in Purgatory for such a long time and for not looking for him.  
He'd just assumed that Dean had died, but for all he knew, Dean could've been alive; well, he _had been _alive, but he could've been on earth. But Sam hadn't bothered to look. He was too scared at first and later he just moved on; convinced that Dean was dead.

He really didn't want to feel guilty, but the damn feeling wouldn't leave him alone. He was constantly reminded of the time when Dean died in front of his eyes and went to hell; he knew his brother was dead, knew there was nothing he could do to bring him back, but that hadn't stopped him from trying. So what had gotten into him making him give up so easily this time? He couldn't find an answer to that question, and he was the one doing it!

Damn; hadn't Cas used the same words to preach to him? No, he didn't need the guilt!

Maybe he should just call Benny and tell him about Dean and then he could go back to Amelia. Benny would find and help Dean. It wasn't his problem, he didn't want this life. But dammit, Dean was _his_ brother and that made it _his_ problem, and besides, he was the one insisting that Dean didn't need a monster to rely on.

Cas had hit a nerve when he said he was just jealous, because well, that was far from the truth. Wasn't it? And he'd been really angry and hurt when Dean told him that Benny had never let him down when everyone else, including Sam, had.

Well, Dean was right. He _had_ let Dean down and that was why he was hurt that bad. Because with Dean you always thought he'd forgive and forget all your mistakes. At least it used to be so when it came to Sam.

But things had changed. _Dean_ had changed; he wasn't that understanding anymore. He wouldn't forget and move on as easily as he used to.

"SHUT UP." Sam chided himself loudly. He knew he didn't have the right to blame Dean for that. They both had changed, and it wasn't right to blame Dean.

Maybe it was his chance to prove himself to his brother again. To show him that he'd be there for him and that Dean didn't need to rely on a monster when he needed help; didn't matter if the said monster wasn't really that bad. Dean had a brother for crying out loud and he'd be there for him.

Like being hit by a lightning bolt, Sam sat straight; realization had finally hit him and it had hit hard. He now could get why he had been so angry at Dean. Well, yeah, Dean shouldn't have hidden Benny, but the truth was that Sam was actually angry because once again Dean had been right and Sam kinda knew it from the beginning, he just hadn't been ready to accept it. He'd been feeling guilty for not looking for Dean and was angry that Dean had called him on it and had showed by his actions that he had new friends now. Boy, he sounded childish even to his own ears.

He did want to live with Amelia, but now wasn't the right time for that. He'd find Dean first and then he could think about Amelia. He could even tell her about Dean being back. After all, Amelia's husband had been back, too! She'd understand his absence.

That sounded like a plan. Sam nodded to himself before putting the Impala into gear and heading for a diner. He needed to eat something before anything else.

And in the meantime he'd contemplate calling Benny a bit more.

...

Meanwhile in the middle of nowhere, Dean was tied to an old bridge pillar with his head bowed down to the chest and his breathing ragged and shallow. The two black eyed jerks who'd taken him from the hospital had left him for the night, leaving him tied to that stupid pillar, thinking that it'd be enough to break him.

Apparently there were more than two stupid demons that thought torturing Dean was a good way to find Kevin. But at least these two were a bit smarter and more creative than the last two, since these two had found a good place to take him to and had definitely chosen the right time to get him; right when he was doped to the gills and had difficulty keeping his eyes open, let alone putting up a fight. That didn't mean that his lips were loose, he knew how to keep quiet and no matter what, he wouldn't tell those SOB's about Kevin's whereabouts.

They were dumb if they thought any amount of pain would break him. He'd been to hell _and_ Purgatory, what were they thinking? Really!

Not being able to actually move, he tried to take an inventory of his bones and muscles, deciding which of them were in decent working order. He was sure that at least some of his stitches had been pulled as he could feel blood running down his side. His two broken ribs were hurting like a mother and his leg was throbbing; standing on it would be a good reason for it.

Other than that, they hadn't done him much harm really. They hadn't been gentle while pushing him around and tying him to the old wooden pillar and that had just aggravated his old injuries.

He didn't know where he was; there were some gaps in his memory and he couldn't think clearly. He didn't even know how he could contact anyone if got free and he didn't have his knife or any other kind of weapons with him. There was only one word for it; he was _screwed_.

But his situation couldn't be worse than Purgatory, now could it? _Maybe it could_; he mused. At least he wasn't tied there; he could fight and sure had some weapons with him. He had to find a way to free himself; standing there wasn't going to do him any good. Once again he was all on his own.

"So, did you make your mind up?"

The voice aroused Dean from his slumber. Blinking his eyes open, he realized that at least his mind wasn't fuzzy anymore, meaning the drug was wearing off.

"Morning dumb and dumber." he grinned widely as the two demons approached him. "Where were you? I missed your ugly faces. The last year in Purgatory made me addicted to all kinda ugly faces. You know, I get an itch to kill them when I see a creature and instantly wanna wipe them off the face of the earth; or Purgatory. Whatever." he chuckled.

The punch to his cheek was hard enough to throw his head back, but not as hard as you expect from a demon. Blinking his eyes, he saw the other demon putting his hand on the first one's arm in a way to calm him down. "Calm on, this is Dean Winchester. Sure you know he keeps talking just to get under your skin." his eyes never left Dean's as he spoke to his partner.

"Ah, it's always nice to be recognized, Skinny." Dean decided to name them himself as he liked to use names while antagonizing his adversaries. "I can call you Skinny, right? I mean you _are_ skinny." he tried to shrug, but was restrained.

Skinny grinned. "I almost like you, Winchester, you know that? In a _'I-want-to-skin-you-alive-but-I-actually-am-your-fan'_ kinda way, of course."

"Hmm, _skin_ me alive, huh? I hear the word '_skin_' a lot from you, _Skinny. _I'd say you like your name." Dean grinned back. "And you," he looked at the angry one, tilting his head as if he was appraising the demon. "You would be... Pissy." Dean nodded happily as he looked back at Skinny. "Don't you agree, Skinny? He really looks like a Pissy."

Skinny laughed. "I agree, Dean Winchester."

"You really like the sound of my name, don't you?" Dean rolled his eyes.

"You were asked a question." Pissy growled.

"I was?" Dean looked confused. "Oh, sorry, man. I still feel a bit groggy from the drug the nurse pumped into me last night. Another reason why I hate hospitals so much; they don't even ask you if you want to be drugged or not. One second you're lying there doing just fine, the next you find the stupid nurse injecting something into your IV. I really-"

Another punch, this time to the stomach stopped him mid-sentence. "_He_ really" Dean coughed, "has ang-" he paused and took a breath, "anger management issue." he finished.

Skinny shrugged. "He does, and I'm not gonna stop him from beating the shit outta you. Answer the questions or you'll have to deal with him. I enjoy sitting there and watch a good... Good _interrogation_; I suppose you could call it that." he smirked before asking again. "Did you make your mind up? Was the night enough for you to come to your senses? Or do we have to use force? Personally I prefer the latter. I love me some fun."

"Oh, then who am I to deprive you?" Dean smirked cheekily.

"That a no?" Pissy hissed. "You do realize that we are not going to let you go, right? We'll get what we want, one way or another."

_'Huh, straight to the point.'_ Dean thought and rolled his eyes. "Bitch, Please. I've been to hell; you really think _you_ can break me."

"We will see." the demon growled as he looked back to find Skinny leaning against another pillar, waiting for the show to start.

Shrugging his shoulder, Pissy looked back. "You asked for it. Tell me where Kevin is,"

"Or?" Dean managed to look innocent.

"Or-" Pissy looked at Dean's chest and slowly lowered his gaze to his belly; instantly Dean's hospital T-shirt started to turn red as a long gash appeared on his chest.

Gritting his teeth, Dean refused to let out any sound. He knew that the gash wasn't deep, but that didn't mean that it didn't hurt like a bitch or that he wasn't in big trouble. This was just the beginning and the stupid demon had started with slicing him.

Something was telling him that by the time they were done with him, there wouldn't be enough of him left to be recognized by the cops or anyone else.

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**... TBC ...**

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**_A/N: _****_I'd love to read your reviews and know what _you _think. :)_**

_Sorry for any mistakes._**_  
_**

**_Thanks for your support; it means the world to me. :)_**

**.  
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	6. Chapter 6

"Dean? You alright, brother?" Benny's voice filled Sam's ear and just hearing the word '_brother_' from that mon-, from Benny's mouth almost made him cut the line. "Dean? Bud?" he asked again worriedly.

"It's me." Sam gritted out.

"Sam?" Benny asked with confusion. "What's wrong? Is Dean alright?" he knew Sam would never call him unless something was wrong with Dean, like REALLY wrong.

"He's missing." He answered curtly.

There was silence for a few long seconds before Benny spoke again. "And you need my help to find him." it wasn't a question. "Where are you?"

"Not far from the hospital. When can you get here?"

"I'll be there in an hour. I'm on my way." and with that the line went dead.

Sam still wasn't sure about trusting Benny, but for now it was his only option. They both cared about Dean and needed to find him.

Less than an hour later, Dean's phone started to ring. "Are you in town?" Sam answered the phone after the first ring.

"I am. Where are you?" came the answer.

"Remember where the hospital is?" Sam asked tersely. "Come to the diner down the street, I'm in the Impala."

"Be right there." and again the line went dead.

It took more than 15 minutes for Benny to show up, though.

"Thought you said you were close." Sam said coldly.

Benny shrugged. "Had to check the hospital to make sure Dean wasn't there."

"You think I'd lie to you?" Sam growled.

"Look, man, you've made it clear that you want me dead and would do anything to do so. Sue me if I have a little self-preservation."

Mumbling something under his breath, Sam motioned with his head for him to get in the car.

"Yeah, I know you could kill me any minute you wanted, man." Benny rolled his eyes, reminding Sam of his great hearing. "But I'm here for Dean. He's never hung me out to dry and neither have I. I'm not gonna start doing that, now. Believe it or not, he's my friend and I'd give my life for him." getting in the car, he looked at Sam, noticing the bags under his eyes. "How long ago did he disappear and what happened?"

Sam started to tell him everything he knew in the hope that Benny could come up with something new; it wasn't the best plan to wait for Benny to come up with something, but beggars can't be choosers and Sam knew it.

...

Inhaling sharply, Dean tried to once again to stifle the cry of pain that was about to escape his lips as the stupid, short-tempered demon, Pissy, shoved his head back towards the wooden pillar. The bang that was heard from Dean's head hitting the pillar made him remember the time when he'd hit himself in the head with a book to see if he'd actually hear the birds tweeting and that thought made him laugh.

That _pissed_ Pissy off, "You think it's funny?"

Thinking about a way to explain what had made him laugh and the look on those demons' faces made Dean laugh even harder which earned him another punch to the cheek. "Ugh... Bastard." he cursed and spat blood in Pissy's face.

"Dean." Skinny chose that moment to step forward. "Look at yourself-"

"Can't." Dean interrupted him with a wry smirk. "Left my mirror in the hospital when you rushed me out of my room."

The backhand from Skinny wasn't unexpected but stung nevertheless; with the condition his body was in, everything would hurt.

"Ouch." Dean said. "But slap? Seriously? Maybe Pissy here should teach you a lesson or two about acting more manly." Dean quipped.

For the first time since meeting those two idiots, Dean saw a smirk forming on Pissy's face. "Just because she's possessed a _dude_ doesn't mean she can be a man."

Skinny growled at that. "Shut up, will you?"

Dean burst into laughter. "Seriously?" He laughed harder despite the agonizing pain emitting from his torso and head. "Oww, man. Sorry, I didn't hurt your feelings, did I?"

Another backhand.

"Boy, you've possessed a _man;_ he's a skinny one, sure, but a man nevertheless. You can punch, it won't hurt you." Dean chuckled and received a punch to the gut for his try. "Yeah," he coughed, "That's more like it. We'll make a man out of you in no time."

"Dean, Dean. Dean." Skinny sighed and shook his head as if he'd suddenly come to an important conclusion, "You and your distracting tactics."

Dean feigned surprise. "Wow, Skinny is smart. Maybe I should start calling you brainy."

"You do realize that you don't have much time left, right?" he asked patiently. "I mean come on, look-" he rolled his eyes, remembering Dean's earlier witty comeback to the same statement. "Just remember that you're not far from joining your parents."

"Nah, I've been to the other side plenty of times, not even once did I meet my parents." Dean sighed deeply like it was one of his greatest regrets.

"We won't get anything out of him." Pissy hissed. "I told you it's a mistake."

"Everyone has a breaking point." Skinny said angrily and walked away, Pissy hot on his tail.

"Maybe, But Dean Winchester's breaking point? What makes you think that _we_ could make him reach that point?"

Skinny turned around angrily and walked back to Dean. "_Pissy here,_" he used the same nickname that Dean had given the other demon to irritate him, "thinks too highly of you. He thinks we can't break you. You know what I'm gonna do?"

"Apologize and let me go?" Dean asked innocently.

"Gonna prove him wrong. I'm gonna _break_ you. I'll do that even if I have to tear you apart and break your every bone and joint and let me tell you, I'll enjoy it. You're not far from breaking."

"No, man. Or should I say _bitch_." Dean pinned him with a deadly glare. "You got it totally wrong. I might not be far from dying, but make sure that not you, not your stupid, yet smarter than _thou,_ friend over there, not even that chubby boss of yours can break me. Alastair did it once after 30 _years_ of torture in _Hell_ which can never be done here on earth and even _he_ wouldn't be able to do that in hell again. I've changed, you see."

"We'll see." Skinny hissed.

"Yes, we will. Do whatever you can; that is if you haven't already. And I'm telling you, dead or not, I'll hunt down you two assholes and will gut you. You know I don't make empty promises." he gave them a feral grin. "And you know perfectly well that dying is not enough to keep me down."

Gritting his teeth, Skinny grabbed Dean's neck and pushed hard; immediately Dean started to turn blue as he felt his windpipe was about to crush under so much pressure, but to his amazement, Pissy stopped Skinny. "He's no good to us dead." he pulled his associate away.

As Skinny's hand left his throat, Dean started to cough hard and then gulped mouthfuls of air; it hurt his throat, but he couldn't care less, his lungs were in immediate need of air.

"You are the one who insisted that he's not gonna tell us anything." Dean heard Skinny's angry tone. "What's the point of letting him live?"

"Well, I might change my mind in a couple of hours." Dean stated hoarsely. He needed to buy himself some time; he might have goaded them, but he wasn't suicidal; he'd _just_ gotten back for God's sake. He wasn't ready to leave again.

Skinny narrowed his eyes. "You think we're stupid?"

"Well," Dean tilted his head and coughed one more time, "I kinda do, but that's not the point."

Pissy frowned. "We know you will never tell us about Kevin."

"What was..." _Damn, he couldn't even finish a sentence without coughing or pausing to take a breath. _"What was the point of kidnapping me if... If you knew that, then?" He asked truly amazed.

"Skinny here thought you'd talk while under-" the look on Pissy's face suddenly changed and a devilish smirk appeared at the corner of his mouth. "Come on, I know what we need to make him talk." he grabbed Skinny's arm.

Skinny looked puzzled.

"Enjoy your time, Dean Winchester. We'll be back in a few hours and when we do, we'll get what we want."

Dean narrowed his eyes but then shook his head. "Dream on."

"No need for that, I know exactly what to do to make it happen in reality." with that the two demons walked away, whispering something to each other.

Dean swallowed hard, not just because he was nervous, but mostly because his throat hurt like hell. He knew that he wasn't doing well and that he didn't have much time left, being covered in bruises, cuts and gashes would do that to you; and let's not forget the broken bones and the more than likely internal bleeding, if the dizziness was anything to go by. Of course, the dizziness could be the result of receiving so many blows to the head, but Dean had had enough injuries to know what internal damages felt like. Those demons hadn't shown any mercy this time and despite the fact that after the first few minutes, Pissy had slowed down a bit in tearing him apart he'd done him enough damage.

But that wasn't what worried him; the problem was that he knew what Pissy had in mind to make him talk; drugs.

That bastard had gone to get some drugs and Dean knew that fighting the influence of drugs was much harder than standing the constant beating, especially if they got the right kind of drugs.

They didn't care about his well-being, so they wouldn't care if the wrong dosage was fatal; they would give him as much as needed to make him talk and then would leave him there to die. And let's face it; it's almost impossible to keep your mouth shut when you're doped to the gills.

He had to do something and he had to do it now. He didn't have much time left.

Struggling against his ropes, he realized that they weren't as tight as they were a few hours ago; he thought that he might actually be able to get free.

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**... TBC ...**

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**_A/N: _****_Please let me know what you think__. :)_**

_Sorry for any mistakes._**_  
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**_Thanks for your reviews and your support. :)_**

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	7. Chapter 7

At first, Sam hated to talk or ask anything, but he'd swallowed his pride and had teamed up with Benny to find Dean, so asking another question wouldn't be that embarrassing. Besides, they didn't have time to waste on possibilities; he needed to make sure before trying anything! "How do we know it's a demon thing, again?"

Benny shrugged. "I'm not sure, man. All I'm saying is that I smell sulfur on his cellphone; it's not strong, but it's there and two demons were the reason he had ended up in that hospital in the first place."

"Didn't Dean kill them?"

"Yes, by the time I got to him they were dead, I just got rid of their bodies. But chances are that there are more than two demons having eyes for Dean."

"There's one way to find out. Let's summon one and see what we can learn." Sam suggested as he left the car and walked to the abandoned old barn that they'd found a few miles up the road from town.

Benny eyed him cautiously, before walking into the barn behind him.

"I'm not gonna kill you. Not till I find Dean." Sam growled, sensing Benny's hesitation.

"That's very comforting but Dean had said a lot about your hunting skills and warned me against you." Benny paused, but then decided to add something to make sure there was no misunderstanding to deteriorate Dean and Sam's relationship, "He's very proud of you."

Sam didn't know why but that made him all warm inside. _Dean was proud of him_. He knew hearing that from Benny shouldn't make him feel that good, but the fact that Dean trusted that vampire so much and had talked to him about his brother was kinda nice.

"You have anyone special on your mind?" Benny asked looking around the barn.

"No, any demons would be good. Give me that bag." Sam indicated towards the bag that he'd handed Benny earlier. "I should've done this last year, too." he mumbled to himself ruefully.

Benny turned around and studied him carefully but chose not to say anything; sometimes you just had to be quiet to convey a message.

"I didn't know about Dean's scar." Sam said aloud. "I mean, well, I was trying to convince myself that Dean could be unharmed. He told me that things had changed; that he could remember the pain and the fear but I never stopped to think about how he could've been affected physically. Are those scars bad?" he didn't know why he was confiding in that vampire, but he was helping him now and Sam didn't have anyone else to talk to.

Suddenly he felt a pang of guilt like a knife in his chest as he came to a new conclusion; Dean must've felt the same.

He'd been alone only for some hours and he needed to talk to this creature; Dean had been all alone in that place for a whole year and everyone knew that Cas couldn't be the best company, that is if he'd stick around long enough. Benny at least was normal. And he'd helped Dean. Why was it so easy for Sam to judge Dean when he didn't know the whole story and knew that he'd have done the same in a situation far less dire?

Benny seemed a bit fazed at first but then he took a deep breath and looked at Sam, who was getting ready to summon a demon while still waiting for an answer. "There were days when I didn't know how to stop the bleeding or how to keep him alive." Benny's eyes glazed over. "We didn't know where the hell Cas was and well, things would get ugly a lot. Sometimes, he'd just lie there, covered in blood, sweat and dirt; there were nights when he couldn't remember where he was or what had happened; he'd wake up and look around for you, thinking you were in danger.

Those nights were the worst; because he wouldn't rest; he wanted to find you and save you and make sure you were alright." Benny sighed. "I had to practically hold him down, waiting for his body to give into exhaustion and crash again. But even during those episodes he was always in the hunting mode." he frowned. "One nigh we... Well, we were attacked when he was down. I was trying hard to keep them away from him because hell, he was totally out of it. One moment I was surrounded by three of them, thinking that it was my end and the next they were falling down. I looked up and saw Dean standing there, his eyes glazed with fever. He was looking at me, but I could say that he wasn't seeing me. You know what he said next?"

"You're welcome?" Sam smirked in spite of himself.

"Well, yeah, he said that too." Benny chuckled. "But then he said '_Get up, Sammy. We don't have the whole night'_. And then his eyes rolled back in his head and he fell to the ground bonelessly." Benny wasn't telling Sam about that night to gain his trust. No, he thought he owed Dean that much.

He could see that things between the two brothers weren't as good as they should've been and although Dean was trying to hide his problems, Benny could clearly see that they were falling apart and that was hurting Dean.

Sam needed to understand a bit of what Dean had been through. It was impossible to make him see the whole picture, but part of it should be doable. If Dean wanted to spare his brother the gory details and if it was too hard for him to talk about those days, then Benny could enlighten Sam. Maybe if Sam knew more about it, he could feel Dean's pain.

Sam swallowed hard and grabbed the edge of the table he was standing by. Closing his eyes, he tried to regain his composure. _'Damn you, Dean.'_ he sighed inwardly and thought that one of the problems with Dean was that he was too selfless and that made it really hard to measure up. Sam could never be the same and that was why he'd keep bolting; thinking that it was easier to stay away rather than failing Dean.

"Let's catch a demon and go get Dean back. We leave him alone for too long and he'll find a new hobby." Benny remarked.

"Or maybe a new ally." Sam noted bitterly.

"Only if he has to. He's the most loyal and reliable man I've ever seen." Benny shot back, reminding Sam that it wasn't Dean's fault if he needed someone to have his back when nobody else would.

...

Finally free from his ropes, Dean stumbled forward and tried to look for something to fight with.

Because let's be honest, hiding wasn't Dean's style and there was really nowhere to hide. Those demons knew he didn't have his cellphone and there was no roads close by. His only option was to fight them. And he had to be fast. He thought about grabbing something sharp and getting back to his pillar, pretending like he was still tied to it, but figured that his chances were better if the demons split to look for him. So getting into the woods, he started to look for anything sharp and useful.

Feeling like he was having déjà vu, he thanked his lucky stars for the first time for his experience in Purgatory. Thanks to that experience, he knew how to make a new weapon using just stones and branches. That might be hard or take some time to make a perfect one, but he thought he'd be able to make something to at least defend himself with. Of course he'd prefer his knife or his colt, but without them he wouldn't be hopeless.

Grabbing a few things, he walked back to his previous spot next to the bridge.

He didn't have much strength left and knew that he was running on adrenaline which would probably wear off soon; but again his experience in Purgatory had somehow prepared him for a day like this; compared to those days, this was pretty easy to go through. He had to hurry, though and finish things before the exhaustion and pain could take over.

...

"Aww, Sammy, it's so good to see you again." Riley, the demon that they'd summoned, called happily.

Benny narrowed his eyes. "You two know each other?"

"No." Riley smiled cheerfully, "Well, _I_ know him; I mean name a demon who doesn't! We all love you, Sammy, even though you've been betraying us lately and Crowley is not your fan anymore. But you're better than Dean, for sure." she chuckled.

"Where is Dean?" Sam demanded.

"Ah, so that's what this is about. Big brother has put himself into trouble again."

"Where is he?" Sam pushed.

"Why would I want to tell you? That is if I _knew_ where he was, which I don't." she shrugged.

Grabbing the knife, Benny stepped into the circle and put it to her neck. "You'll answer his question, now." he said icily.

"Oh, we've heard about you, Benny. I mean '_Saint Dean'_ has found himself an ally in a monster. That news shook heaven and hell."

"Dean is not here now; why don't you tell us where he is and then come back later so we can discuss this, huh?" Benny smirked behind her and pushed the blade at her throat.

"Sam," the girl hissed. "This is a meat suit I'm wearing; you're gonna stand there and let him hurt an innocent? Thought you wanted him dead."

"I want my brother back." Sam didn't move from his spot. "And I have no reasons to believe the girl you're possessing is still alive. Besides, I haven't seen anything wrong from Benny and Dean trusts him. That's enough for me. Tell us where Dean is or you're dead." _There_; he said those words aloud, and in front of Benny! Did that make it real? Did that mean that he really had started to trust Benny?

"And you'll go to Purgatory." Benny noted, bringing Sam's mind back to the present. "You see, I'm experienced in that area; even without Dean Winchester there to kill the monsters for good, it's a pretty scary place. Point of no return. The choice is yours." he pushed one more time and Riley hissed in pain.

"I wasn't lying when I said I don't know, alright?" She said angrily. "What? You think we have nothing better to do than looking out for that crazy brother of yours?"

"We know demons have him. Don't play innocent." Sam prayed that they were right and Dean was indeed taken by demons. He nodded to Benny who moved the knife and pushed it against the girl's arm, cutting it and making her scream in agony.

"Alright, alright. Dammit." she panted heavily. "Word is out that Crowley will reward anyone who finds Kevin Tran first. There are these stupid demons who think that they can actually make _Dean_ talk. How stupid is that? Really?" she chuckled to herself.

"Where's Dean now?" Sam growled.

Rolling her eyes, Riley shook her head. "I was complimenting your brother in a way, you know. You could be a little more appreciative."

"Girl, you think we have time to play your stupid game? Tell him what he wants." Benny hissed.

"And you'll let me go?" she asked.

Sam looked at Benny who shrugged, so Sam just nodded.

Hesitating for a second, Riley asked for a pen and wrote down what she knew. "I did my part, now it's your turn."

Without saying anything else, Benny stepped out of the circle as Sam started the chant to exorcise the demon.

"You Son of a bitch. We made a deal. You promised me." she screamed at Sam.

"Unlike what you think, darling, we're not stupid. You want us to let you go so you can warn them? No way in hell." Benny said while Sam continued and finished the chant.

"Let's go." Sam said once he was done and the girl fell to the ground after the demon left her body.

"She's alive." Benny said from his place on the ground where he'd knelt beside the girl.

"You have money with you?" Sam asked.

Benny just nodded.

"Leave her some cash. We have more important things to do. Move."

"Aye aye, Sir." Benny murmured under his breath before leaving the barn. "Then again, let's not forget whose brother you are."

"I heard what you said." Sam called over his shoulder.

"You were meant to." Benny announced. "You know, we make a good team, Sam. We totally rocked in there."

Sam rolled his eyes, surprised that Benny's statement hadn't really bothered him. "Don't push your luck. Shut up and let's go find Dean."

"Yeah, let's."

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**... TBC ...**

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**_A/N: _****_Share your thoughts with me?__ :)_**

_Sorry for any mistakes._**_  
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**_Thanks for your reviews and your support. :)_**

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	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Sorry, everyone, but I have to say something to an anonymous reviewer first!  
**

_Dear guest, f__irst of all, I wish you'd left the comment with your account, so I could answer you directly!_  
_Second of all, if you had read this story thoroughly, you'd have known that the main focus of the story is NOT on Benny; it's on Dean and Sam's relationship, but you can't expect me to jump to the last part and fix things magically! In a story things should develop gradually, not without preamble! And things won't get fixed by a miracle, some clarification is needed and since Castiel is not around, Benny was the only option and he was the one who'd seen Dean in Purgatory! So like it or not, he had to be the one to talk about those days!_

_And I don't get what Dean has done that hadn't been addressed or he hadn't apologized for! Sam's the one who bolted and didn't look for him and didn't even apologize, and Sam is the one who kept threatening Dean with leaving! Sam needed to see a few things and I like to write him this way, so he can see his mistakes and fix his relationship with Dean!_

_And after all, having Benny in a fiction is not like writing a suicide-fic, death-fic, slash-fic or AU that would need a warning in the summary! He's a character in the show and writers are allowed to use him in any ways they like!_

_._

**I apologize again; I don't usually do this, but I had to say something and defend myself, just this time, since the comment wasn't even instructive! **

**Hope you enjoy this chapter. :)**  
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"Where the hell is that bastard?" Dean heard Pissy's angry voice when they got back and didn't find him where he should've been.

Skinny looked more angry, though and from the place he was hiding, Dean could clearly see it. "One more step. One more step." Dean murmured under his breath.

Much to his disappointment, none of them stepped towards the pillar he was tied to. _'Damn, should've thought of their night vision.'_ he thought to himself.

"He couldn't have gone far; not in that situation. He might've even passed out somewhere nearby." Skinny said as he eyed around. "Let's check everywhere. You take the right and I'll take the left." and with that they separated.

Dean quietly stepped back behind a large tree and slouched lower, waiting for Pissy who was coming his way. Less than 30 seconds later the demon was standing right beside the tree his was hiding behind. The black-eyed creature was cautiously watching around but he never saw what hit him as Dean silently rounded the tree and hit him hard in the head.

The demon fell to the ground like a sack of potato.

Dean knew that a blow to head wasn't enough and that he needed to at least behead the man, but thinking about the guy that he'd possessed stopped him. He knelt beside the fallen demon and quietly, but hurriedly started to recite the exorcising chant.

The only problem was that no demon left its meat suit quietly; the man screeched as the black smoke left his mouth, twirled around and disappeared into the sky.

"One down, one more to go." Dean said to himself as he quickly changed his position and hid behind another tree. His broken leg was slowing him down; that _and_ other broken bones, and of course the blood loss. But he was used to it and knew how to push his body further.

"Dean, you sneaky bastard."

Dean heard Skinny's voice echo through the woods.

"You think you can hide? You might've gotten Herman, but you'll never get _me_ and I swear I'll kill you if it's the last thing I do on earth."

_'So the other demon was Herman. Nice to know.'_ Dean thought to himself and dragged his battered body towards where he'd last heard Skinny.

"Here, here. Come to me, boy." Skinny called as if he was calling his dog. "Don't make me angry and I won't punish you."

"Oh, shut up." Dean jumped from behind him and hit him in the head, "Bitch." he snarled.

Unfortunately for him, this time the blow hadn't been hard enough to keep the demon down for long. He looked up at Dean, moved his hand and Dean went flying back towards the bridge, hitting the ground like a rag doll.

Panting hard, Dean knew he couldn't get far now. His body was too mangled and wouldn't listen to him for much longer. Looking around, he realized that he'd lost his handmade weapon, but at least he wasn't far from where he wanted to be.

All he had to do was to somehow get Skinny come to him.

Pushing himself up on his elbows, Dean tried to drag himself backward. "You might be skinny, but you sure have powers. I'll give you that much."

"I know right?" the demon bragged as he walked towards Dean. "Everyone underestimates me and well, I've learned to use it to my advantage, isn't that sweet?"

"It's smart, for sure." Dean acknowledged. "I definitely should've called you Brainy."

"Always the smart-ass." Rolling his eyes Skinny approached. "So, how do you want me to kill you? Because I'm not a fan of quick and painless."

"Yeah, girls are usually crueler." Dean smirked. "I gotta admit, though, it's still hard to think of you as a girl. You know, I keep thinking about you as a '_he_'! Next time, make sure to wear the right clothes, huh?" Dean smiled innocently, like he was just giving a friendly advice. "Oh, wait, there's no next time."

"There isn't?" the demon asked. "And why is that?"

Pushing himself back one last time, Dean finally gave in and landed on his back. Panting heavily, he looked up at the demon that was now too close to him. "Because you're going back to hell, ugly bitch."

Feeling like something was different, Skinny straightened and looked around, trying to find the source of her discomfort.

"It's above your head." Dean helped with a grin.

The demon's gaze turned upward slowly and saw the devil's trap above her head. It wasn't too far up, but for someone in Dean's shape, it must've been impossible to draw a sigil like that. "How-"

"Oh, I have my ways." Dean boasted. "But the _how_ is not really important now. The _why_ is and we both know the answer to that. Don't we?"

Grinding her teeth, the demon looked down sharply. "I can help you. You won't last long like this. I can get you some help."

"Oh, now you're becoming friendly?" Dean pushed himself up to a sitting position. "It's OK, don't worry about me, sweetheart-" he paused and wrinkled his nose. "Yuck, it sounds wrong when you're in the wrong meat suit." shaking his head slightly he continued, "Anyways, I was saying that you don't need to worry about me. All I want is for you to get back home, safe and sound and never leave there again. This world is not a safe place for bitches like you." he said sweetly.

"Well, in that case I'll see you there, I guess. Huh? And we'll have loads of fun together."

"Don't count too much on it; we don't want your heart broken, now do we?" Dean smirked. "Say goodbye to this world."

Exorcising her didn't last long and like the first time the scream filled everywhere before the man fell bonelessly to the ground.

Dean wanted to move and make sure that the other man was alright, but he found it too hard to move a muscle and with the immediate danger gone, his body finally gave up on trying to stay upright and he fell back to the ground and lost consciousness.

...

The trip to where Dean was being kept, passed almost in silence, but that was after Sam asked another question about Dean in Purgatory; Benny had answered his question and even had gone on a bit more about it. Unlike Dean, Benny talked easily about those days; maybe because he wasn't human, or maybe because he wasn't talking about himself. But to Sam, it felt like that Benny was doing so just to help him understand Dean's situation better and even though he wasn't ready to admit it out loud, it meant a lot.

"We gotta stop and walk from here." Sam announced as he stopped the car.

Benny just nodded, showing that he was with him in his plan.

They quietly walked through the woods towards the bridge. After a few minutes of walking, something caught Benny's eyes. As they got closer they saw that it was a body, blood had covered half of the man's face but Benny could hear that his heart was still beating.

Eying the fallen man, Sam looked back to see what Benny's reaction was to that amount of blood, only to find him checking the area carefully, without paying any attention to the blood. Almost like he didn't even care about it.

"If he's here then Dean must be around. With at least one more demon. Right?" Benny queried.

Sam nodded and decided that studying Benny should be a task for another time. Getting up they continued the path down the woods. "We'll come back for him later. He might need help." he noted.

When they reached the last row of trees, the scene before them made Sam's breath hitch in his chest.

"He's alive." Benny said hastily as they both rushed towards Dean.

_'Well, he might be alive, but he won't be for long if we don't get him to the hospital immediately.'_ Sam thought grimly as he tried to assess his brother's injuries.

"This one is alive too." Benny announced as he looked around with amusement. "Man, he never ceases to amaze me." he said with a hint of pride in his voice.

"We need to get him out of here." Sam sounded worried. "I don't like the way he looks. I need to get the car, wait here with him." he said as he jogged away towards where they'd left the Impala. He was almost by the car when he realized that he'd actually left a vampire with his injured and blood covered brother.

Had he really started to trust Benny that much? That kinda felt strange. Getting in the car, he started it and took the road down to the bridge.

"Hey, he's coming around." Benny called as soon as Sam stopped the car and jumped out.

Kneeling beside his brother, Sam called. "Dean. Hey, man, can you hear me?"

Dean's knitted his brow but other than that there was nothing.

"Time to wake up, Sleeping Beauty." Benny called this time.

Dean could _feel_ that something was not right. He'd heard those two voices before, but never together. So what was going on? Suddenly his eyes snapped open. "Sam?"

"Here." Sam smiled.

Dean's gaze fell on Benny and he blinked a few more times. "Benny?"

"Who else? The Feather?" Benny grinned as he referred to Cas.

"You two? Together?" Dean rasped.

Rolling his eyes, Sam bent down to help him up. "Calm on, we need to get you to the hospital. I haven't come this long to lose you here."

With both Benny and Sam's help, Dean was settled in the backseat of his beloved car and before too long he was out cold again. After making sure that nothing in that scene could be linked to Dean, Sam called 911 to inform them about the injured men that they had to leave behind and then they hit the road.

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**... TBC ...**

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**_A/N: _****_So, what do you think?__  
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_Sorry for any mistakes._**_  
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**_Once again, thanks for your support, everyone. :)_**

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	9. Chapter 9

_**A/N:** Dear **Corina**, thanks for your kind words. The site doesn't let anyone leave a link, so I didn't get your email address and couldn't reply that way.  
__I know what you mean about wanting Benny back; I really liked Benny, too! Thanks again, your words and support mean a lot. :)_

**_..._**

_**Just one more thing; I wanted to remind you guys that I wrote the plot of this story during the first hiatus! So I still haven't watched episode 10 and had no idea how things would go between Sam and Amelia! Just remember this when you are reading this last chapter!**_

_**I hope you enjoy it! :)**_

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Something wasn't right and Dean knew it even before coming around completely. His mind was tired, but he knew there was something he had to remember that had been really weird. It was related to Sam... And Benny. Sam _and_ Benny. _Together_! Oh shit.

Dean's eyes snapped open as he jolted upright.

"Whoa." Someone grabbed him by his shoulders and tried to push him back. "You really don't need to add anything to the list of your injuries; if that's even possible."

Blinking the sleep out of his eyes, Dean found a middle-Aged woman standing by his bedside in... In his hospital room?

Great! He was back to the hospital. But strangely enough, this time, he was actually happy to be back._ 'There's a first time for everything._' he shrugged mentally.

"Whe-" he croaked, but his sore throat didn't let him continue. He was trying to ask about Sam or Benny. But the nurse got him wrong, typically.

"You're in hospital, sweetie." she smiled kindly and helped him with a glass of water.

"No, my brother-" he tried again.

"Oh, your brother and your friend are standing outside. I needed to change your dressing." she answered. "I'm done here; I'll just let them in. Are you feeling any pain?"

Shaking his head, he refused to be drugged. He could tolerate the pain, what he couldn't stand was being doped up again.

"OK, then. Make sure to call for me if you need anything. Pain will only slow down your healing process."

Apparently Dean wasn't the only one weary of meds and pain killers; she seemed to know why Dean was refusing to get drugged.

A few seconds later both Sam and Benny walked in and Dean realized that till that very moment he hadn't really believed that they could be around each other peacefully.

"Is this the apocalypse again?" he couldn't help but ask.

"Welcome back to the land of the living. Great first question." Benny laughed.

Sam just smiled. "How're you feeling?"

"Like I'm hallucinating. Why are you two together?" Dean asked again.

"Thought that's what you wanted." Sam looked indignant.

Dean blinked. That _was_ what he wanted, but how had that happened? What had he missed? "This is not real, is it?" he was convinced that he was still dreaming.

"Two people, one goal; I guess you could say." Benny leaned against the wall.

"What goal?"

"You." they both answered.

"What?" Dean was really puzzled.

"You were missing; I didn't know who to call." Sam spoke up. "Benny was the only option. So we agreed to put our differences aside and find you first."

"Well, basically, it's you who has problem with me." Benny looked at Sam. "I'm totally OK with you; as long as you don't try to kill me, that is."

"Fine, I decided not to kill you until we found Dean. Happy?"

"Ecstatic." Benny grinned. "Wait, does that mean that you wanna kill me now?"

Sam rolled his eyes but didn't answer.

Dean was dumbfounded; he kept looking between the two of them with a frown. "I remember Skinny and Pissy, but when did you two come into the picture."

"Skinny and Pissy, huh?" Benny looked amused.

"When we arrived you'd already taken care of them and were on the verge of meeting them on the other side. Will you stop disappearing already? It's getting old, Dean." Sam pouted.

"Yeah, no. It's so much fun I can't stop doing it." Dean growled. "You two really OK with each other?"

"I always was OK with him."

"Yes."

Came their responses at the same time.

"WOW." Dean smiled. "At least something good came out of it."

"Dean." Sam growled.

"Are Kevin and his mother alright? Have you heard from them?" Dean asked abruptly.

Sam raised his brow. "Well, no. But why would I check on them? They have no clue what those demons are willing to do to find them."

"Good point." Dean sighed and sank into his pillow slowly, trying to hide a wince.

"You're pretty beaten up, you know?"

"Thanks. I was there when it happened." Dean grumbled.

"Listen, guys. I'd better go." Benny sensed the unspoken word between the two brothers and realized that it was his hint. "Stay safe and call me if you need anything, brother." he patted Dean's shoulder and nodded to Sam.

"Hey," Sam called after him. "Your... Umm... Well, I talked to Elizabeth before calling you and she asked me to tell you that she needed to talk to you. Just... Give her a call."

Sadness filled Benny's eyes, but he gave a bitter smile anyway and nodded in response.

"And while you're at it," Sam added, "would you tell her that Dean is alright, too? Guess I made her worried."

At that, Benny narrowed his eyes and looked skeptically at Dean.

"Hey, don't look at me like that. It's not my fault that I'm charming and easy on the eye." Dean protested.

Rolling his eyes, Benny shook his head and turned on his heel to walk out. "Only you, Dean." he said over his shoulder.

Smiling at his back, Dean turned his gaze to Sam. "So, you called Lizzie?"

"Came to my senses." Sam said in lieu of apologizing. "You were right; she told me what had happened that night."

Nodding his head, Dean didn't want to fuss over it. "How did she sound? Was she any better?"

"Pretty shaken up if you ask me. But I think she'll be alright, considering what she's been through."

"Yeah, that's what I thought. Poor girl."

"Hmm."

"So, you don't wanna kill Benny anymore?"

"Not till he makes a mistake." Sam answered honestly which brought a smile to Dean's face.

"I'll do it myself, if he ever does that. He knows it."

Sam leaned back in his chair and looked away.

"Thanks, Sammy." Dean said sotto voce.

Sam frowned. "I didn't do anything. Just found you and brought you back to the hospital. You didn't even wait for me to come and save the day." he looked at his brother with a mocked glare and hid his smile.

"Nah, didn't have time. They were about to drug me."

The smile vanished from Sam's face.

"But that's not what I meant." Dean saw it and instantly spoke up. "Well, thank you for looking for me, but I was actually thanking you for making an effort; for trying to understand my situation and for calling Lizzie."

"Guess your abduction has shed some light on the situation." Sam smiled sheepishly. "And sorry."

Somehow Dean knew what Sam was apologizing for and just shook his head. "It doesn't matter anymore."

"I shouldn't have just run when you disappeared last year. But I was scared, Dean and spent and broken and-" Sam found it hard to explain.

"Hey, it's alright." Dean reached out to grab Sam's arm.

"I can't promise to stay, you know." he looked Down.

Dean took a rather deep breath, cautions of his broken ribs and battered lungs. "I know, Sam. I'd love to have you by my side, but if you're happy with her, then that's where you should be. I won't promise not to call you and drag you into a nasty situation, but I'll try my best."

"Well, I'm still here. But if I stay with Amelia, I want you to know her and I want her to know you. I've talked to her about you."

The soft spoken words struck Dean into stunned silence; unable to speak, he just looked at his brother.

Sam smiled ruefully. "I wasn't trying to forget you, Dean."

Dean wanted to say something back, but he was dumbfounded. A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

"And I'm sorry for what you went through in Purgatory." Sam continued, "Benny told me a little about it and well, your doctor mentioned scars and-"

Dean closed his eyes for a second. "Sam." he sighed. "It's OK, let's not talk about it."

"But I want to know, Dean. Want to understand." he protested.

"If the time comes that it's absolutely necessary for you to know, then I'll tell you. But not as a routine bedtime story. Just forget about it, Sam. Please."

Sam stared into his brother's green eyes and nodded. "Fine." And when he saw a wave of relief wash over his brother's face, he knew he'd made the right choice.

He suddenly grinned. "If Amelia is my girlfriend, does that make Benny your boyfriend?"

"Shut up." Dean growled.

"What? You spent a whole year with him."

"And I've spent my whole life with you, does that makes us Husband and wife?" Dean rolled his eyes and grinned cheekily. "Besides, I'm planning on catching someone else's eyes and from what I've heard, I've been successful so far."

"Lizzie!" Sam exclaimed. "How did I forget about her? I gotta tell Benny."

"No, you don't."

"Yes, I do."

"You do that and I'll tell Amelia about that time when you kissed that boy who was living in our neighborhood."

"What the hell, Dean?" Sam threw his hands in the air. "You can't keep threatening me with that little incident for the rest of my life."

"Oh, I can and I will if you don't shut up."

"Fine." he pouted.

"Fine." Dean smirked.

"Oh, and for the record, you look like a real badass in bloody, ripped hospital pajama." Sam snickered.

Dean made a face, "I kicked two demons' asses in that pajama. What did _you_ do?"

"Befriended with your friend."

That brought a genuine and warm smile to Dean's face. "Yeah, that you did, Sammy. Good job."

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**... The END ...**

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**_A/N: T_****_ell me what you think?__ :) Was it too mushy?_**

_Sorry for any mistakes._**_  
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**_Thanks for your reviews and your support; you made my day. ^_^_**

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